Lily plant named Daystar

ABSTRACT

A new variety of hybrid lily plant bearing large clusters of flowers of excellent form particularly distinguished by their pale cream yellow/soft pink bicolor pattern and by their lack of any spotting. The flowers of this new plant are characterized by their long persistence both on the plant and as cut flowers and with the unusual color combination are completely new in the upright Asiatic division of lilies suited to forcing and to mass commercial cultivation. This plant is highly resistant to disease and shows high tolerance of virus, it is an excellent garden plant, and its bulbs may be precooled and forced for cut flower production. The clone is vigorous and is an excellent grower and propagator.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This new Asiatic lily variety originated as a seedling selected from agroup of seedlings resulting from my crossing at Sandy, Oreg., theclonal cultivar `Connecticut Queen` (unpatented) as the seed parent andthe clonal cultivar `Sunrise` (unpatented) as the pollen parent. Thisparticular seedling was selected by me because of its very unusualflower coloration of pale yellow and soft pink with a complete lack ofany spotting. Asexual propagation of this selected seedling was done byme and under my direction at Sandy, Oreg., by bulb scale propagation,with such excellent results that further propagation was carried onunder my direction through several successive generations both by bulbscale propagation and by natural propagation from bulblets, whichdemonstrated that the novel and distinctive characteristics of this newplant would hold true from generation to generation under asexualpropagation and appeared to be firmly fixed. This extended propagationof this new variety shows that it possesses all of the desiredcharacteristics of excellence of flower form, color and habit withflowers of medium size produced profusely in raceme arrangement on asingle stem, the clone being a vigorous and good grower and propagatorand well suited to forcing out of season when the bulbs are dug at theappropriate time and properly precooled; October-dug bulbs, properlyprecooled and potted in January, will flower under glass in westernOregon with no supplementary lighting and at moderate greenhousetemperatures in an average of 75 to 80 days, as observed at Sandy, Oreg.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

This new variety of lily plant is illustrated in the accompanyingphotographic drawing, the upper view of which shows a number of theflowers in full bloom together with buds, and the lower view shows afull face view of a mature flower of this variety illustrating its novelcharacteristics, the colors shown being as close to those specified asis reasonably possible to obtain by means of conventional photographicprocedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of my new variety of Asiaticlily plant with nomenclature according to The International LilyRegister (Royal Horticultural Society of London, Second Edition, 1969)and with color designations according to the color chart of The RoyalHorticultural Society published in 1966.

THE PLANT

Origin: Seedling.

Parentage:

Seed parent.--Lilium `Connecticut Queen` (unpatented).

Pollen parent.--Lilium `Sunrise` (unpatented).

Classification:

Horticultural.--Division I-A, Upright Asiatic Hybrid Lily, according toThe Horticultural Classification of Lilies by The Royal HorticulturalSociety.

Commercial.--Hybrid Lily cultivar.

Form: Single stem, erect and stately.

Height: About 70 to 90 cm. from bulbs of about 15 to 18 cm. incircumference.

Growth: Upright and vigorous.

Foliage:

Quantity.--Abundant.

Leaf size.--About 8 to 10 cm. long and about 5 to 12 mm. wide.

Leaf shape.--Lanceolate with acuminate tip.

Texture.--Leathery.

Aspect.--Glossy and lightly pubescent.

Color.--Medium green and somewhat lighter on the under side.

Bulbs:

Size.--Variable, ranging up to 25 cm. in circumferece in commercial use.

Color.--White.

THE BUD

Form: Long oval with rounded base and acute apex.

Size: About 8 to 9 cm. long and about 5 cm. in circumference, just priorto opening.

Opening rate: The buds open slowly, taking about one hour in response tomorning light.

Color: Yellow green, 154C/D, underlaid with 18B at the base of the budand 36B at the apex.

Peduncle:

Length.--Averaging about 4 to 6 cm.; but the length may increase iflight levels are too low or if the bulbs have been improperly storedprior to forcing.

Color.--Medium green with light plum overlay.

THE FLOWER

Blooming habit: Once annually and profusely in midseason for Asiaticlilies.

Size: Medium for Asiatic hybrids, the diameter averaging about 12 to 14cm.

Borne: In a single raceme comprising 8 to 10 buds from a bulb about 14cm. in circumference.

Shape: Cup-shaped when bloom first opens and becoming flattened as thetepals recurve during the second day.

Tepalage:

Number.--Six.

Arrangement.--Hexagonal and imbricated.

Shape.--Generally elliptical with obtuse apexes.

Size.--Outer tepals, about 2 to 21/2 cm. wide with the inner tepalsbeing about 3 cm. wide.

Appearance.--Bicolored with the central portion of the tepals beingyellow, 8C to 9D, which extends toward the margins and tip where it isthere overlaid with a soft pink pigmentation that deepens as itapproaches the tepal tips, the pink coloration overlaying the creamyellow thereby creating a soft peach-pink visual effect; at the tepaltips, the color is red, 38B-C.

Color changes.--The peach-pink color is affected by temperature andlight levels; decreasing with very high temperatures and with low light.The nectary furrow is the same color as the tepal tips.

Spotting.--The tepals are wholly unspotted.

Pedicel:

Length.--About 6 cm., in average.

Form.--Sturdy and ascending up to about 45° from the horizontal andbearing occasional secondary buds.

Color.--Medium green with light plum overlay.

Appearance: The flower is shiny.

Persistence: The tepals stay on the stems for about three weeks.

Fragrance: None.

Lasting quality: The flowers are long lasting both on the plant and as acut flower.

Disease resistance: The flower and plant are resistant to diseases andin particular, they are resistant to Botrytis blight and Fusarium bulbrot.

THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Stamens:

Number.--Six.

Arrangement.--Typical of the genus Lilium.

Anthers (dehisced) and pollen.--Greyed orange, 167A.

Filaments.--Length: About 5 cm. Color: Soft yellow, 6D.

Pistils:

Number.--One.

Style.--Length: About 5 cm.

Stigma.--Size: Small. Color: Soft green.

Character of ovary: Typical of genus Lilium.

THE FRUIT

Fertility: The fruit is fertile.

Shape: Ovoid

Color at maturity: Soft brown, sometimes overlaid with soft plum.

This hybrid lily plant most nearly resembles the variety `ConnecticutQueen` but it is distinguished by having a soft peach-pink suffusionreaching to the tepal tips and having a soft peach-pink "sliver" ofcolor along the nectary furrows. This variety is reliable for forcingout of season, unlike `Connecticut Queen`.

I claim:
 1. The new and distinctive variety of Asiatic hybrid lilyplant, substantially as herein shown and described, characterized by itsunique color pattern of soft cream yellow with soft peach-pink tepaltips, a complete lack of spots, and the excellence of its flower form;its vigorous growth habit and rapid natural propagation; and itsexcellent versatility both as a garden plant and as a flower producedfrom precooled bulbs forced out of season under glass.